"Wow, what a surprise. I never would have guessed the culprit was our very own Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation, Mr. Barty Crouch."
"But, when you think about it, it makes perfect sense. How could a father who raised such an evil Death Eater as Barty Crouch Jr. be a good person himself?"
Old Barty Crouch was a man of strict discipline and grave seriousness. More than ten years ago, when Voldemort and the Death Eaters were at the height of their power, he advocated for a hardline approach against them. This earned him the trust of most of the wizarding world. He was seen as a model wizard, a hater of evil, and the bane of all Dark wizards.
Even with the blemish of his son being a Death Eater, he had proven his righteousness by personally turning his own son over to Azkaban.
Because of this, he was moved from the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement to his current position and lost his chance to become Minister for Magic.
By all accounts, Crouch had led an exemplary life.
Even his rival, Fudge, while cautious of him and always trying to undermine him, completely trusted his character.
Yet, here was this man, more than a decade later, casting the Dark Mark.
Could he have been a Death Eater all along?
It seemed impossible.
Old Barty Crouch lay there, not attempting to argue, as if silently accepting the accusation.
If the main culprit is old Barty Crouch, then who are the accomplices?
A terrible thought formed in Fudge's mind. He extended a trembling hand and pointed at the captured masked wizards.
"Who... who are they?"
The masks were lifted, revealing a series of familiar faces.
"Andy?!"
"Arora?!"
"Tisma?!"
Out of the thirty-eight masked wizards, at least twenty were Ministry of Magic employees. While none were Department Heads or high-ranking officials, many held important posts.
"This... this... this..."
Minister Fudge pointed at the wizards, unable to form a complete sentence. Sweat beaded on his forehead, quickly covering his entire large face.
Even the Ministry officials and Aurors standing behind him looked deeply unsettled.
Death Eaters lurking within the Ministry?
The only person who looked calm was the head of the Auror Office, Rufus Scrimgeour, who looked like a lion. But that was only because a battle scar had left his face expressionless.
What to do?
What else was there to do?
They had to arrest them all! And put them on trial!
This was a scandal that couldn't be buried, and there was no way to hide it.
It wasn't just Ministry officials present. Many wizards had returned to the campsite after the Dark Mark was dispelled.
A great many of them had seen Old Barty Crouch and the masked wizards. If it were just English wizards, it would be bad enough, but tens of thousands of wizards from other countries were present, too.
"Scrimgeour, have your men keep a close eye on them. We'll see them in the Wizengamot in three days," Fudge said, his face looking bitter as he gave the order.
Scrimgeour, whose name had just been called, felt a massive headache coming on. This was not a good assignment. The number of people involved was simply too high.
"I will give everyone a full account. Mr. Dursley, I will pay you a visit when I have the time. For now, we must return to the Ministry."
Fudge left in a hurry, with the rest of the officials following close behind.
Dudley smiled as he watched him go.
Some might have wondered why Fudge would expose the identities of these people when he already suspected them. Wasn't he just digging his own grave?
Others might not have known Fudge's real motive, but Dudley did. That man was doing it on purpose.
Fudge's actions seemed foolish, but in reality, he was eliminating his rivals.
Just as Dudley had predicted, Fudge came to find him that same night.
"Mr. Dursley, you'll help me, won't you?" Fudge pleaded, looking at Dudley with a hint of desperation.
If it were just one or two people, it would be easy to handle, but losing twenty employees at once was a blow that even the massive Ministry of Magic could barely withstand.
"Of course... You are our most important Minister."
Dudley looked at Fudge with a sincere expression that the Minister found immensely gratifying.
"Minister Fudge, there are some details you can handle like this..."
The problem of Ministry staff shortages, which was a huge headache for Fudge, was a simple matter for Dudley to solve.
While the number of wizards was small compared to Muggles, it was still a large population. At the very least, there were more wizards than all the other magical subspecies—centaurs, giants, vampires, and goblins—combined.
And not everyone could get into the Ministry anyway. It was a situation where there were far more applicants than available positions.
As the saying goes: "If you don't do it, someone else will."
And so, Dudley was able to conveniently place a number of his "seniors" in the Ministry of Magic.
"One more thing, Minister Fudge."
"Mr. Dursley?"
"I believe Mr. Crouch may have been under the Imperius Curse. You should probably check up here."
Dudley pointed to his own head.
"A heroic, tough Department Head being controlled by the Imperius Curse is much more palatable than him being a Death Eater."
"Besides, he can no longer be your rival, can he?"
"And you can also gain a powerful ally. Believe me, Mr. Crouch's skills are better than most wizards'."
Fudge only thought about it for a moment before a wide, daisy-like smile bloomed across his face. "Of course, Mr. Dursley. You truly are my best partner."
Without lifting a finger, he had managed to secure a powerful subordinate. No matter how you looked at it, it was a worthwhile deal.
---
Three days later, in the Wizengamot, the Quidditch World Cup case was tried as scheduled.
The thirty-eight wizards were given different sentences based on their crimes. Of course, all the Ministry employees among them lost their jobs.
The Ministry of Magic could not, and would not, have any Death Eaters within its ranks.
Whatever the truth might be, that was the public story.
So, these people absolutely could not be allowed to remain. In any case, they were just junior staff, so they were expendable as long as it maintained the Ministry's reputation.
Next came the trial for the main culprit—Old Barty Crouch.
Before the verdict was announced, Minister Fudge made a motion to have him tested for the Imperius Curse.
The Ministry then brought in some of the top Healers from St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries.
After all, he was a powerful Department Head in a key Ministry department. He couldn't be treated as casually as the other wizards.
After the Healers' examination, they came to a conclusion.
They confirmed that Old Barty Crouch had been under a very severe Imperius Curse. The caster's powerful control had caused some damage to his brain.
After a discussion among the Wizengamot members, they decided not to send Old Barty Crouch to Azkaban. Instead, he was stripped of all his positions at the Ministry and placed under the full care of the Healers.
Once his treatment was complete, they would seek out the real culprit.